Oh Snap! What an Open House!

• August 16th, 2018 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

On August 10th, I held an Open House for everyone to stop by and come see the new space. Since June when we first decided to take on the space my office manager, Becca, and I have been working on getting everything perfect. I was so excited to share with everyone what the space looked like and I am so happy everyone that could show up, did. We found ourselves laughing with silly Photo Booth props, enjoying copious amounts of popcorn topped with candy from the popcorn bar, and drinking refreshing fruit punch with real fruit chunks.

Becca painted a wonderful canvas that was used as the guestbook and I took time at the end of the night to read what everyone had written. Thank you for all of the kind words! I am blown away by the feedback I received and so thankful to have such a strong supporting group of clients that have become friends and friends that have become clients.

Guests entered a raffle for a $75 credit and then enjoyed a quick tour of the new studio and office spaces. I now have a dressing room space, a make-up mirror, coffee machine, and more space for large families to enjoy viewing their photographs! I also had a slideshow of some of my most favorite photographs playing for everyone to see. I got to share some of our upcoming events: my back to school mini portrait session on August 25th at Tidewater Arboretum, my mermaid crown making party on September 8th, Senior Portraits for the class of 2019, exciting news about my Santa on the Beach session this fall, and new sessions that I am able to provide now that the studio has a separate space. I am very excited for what the fall will bring!

We had three raffle ticket winners that each won their own $75 credit toward an upcoming fall session. I can’t wait to photograph each of the winning families!Please enjoy some of the photographs of the studio and from the Open House.

We had such a wonderful turnout that we will be looking to host more events at the studio and at other locations. If you’d be interested in learning more about future events make sure to follow me on Facebook and watch for posts!

I hope that if you didn’t make it to the open house that I will see you soon to check out the space in person! I am very excited to share with everyone the new space and show off all of the hard work everyone has put in to make the space look so amazing!!

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Yes, you DO need a Professional Headshot | Photographer Hampton Roads

• March 14th, 2018 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

I am just like you.  I have a job, a husband, kids, grocery shopping, a home to clean, bills to pay and a life to live!  I budget and cut coupons and love groupon and discount sites!  I hate spending more for something that I can get cheaper somewhere else.  I only have so much money coming and and I really do need to make it stretch as far as possible.  I get it!  That said… you REALLY DO NEED A PROFESSIONAL HEADSHOT done by a professional photographer!  A “picture of you” is not just a picture of you when you are trying to sell yourself.  And we all need to sell ourselves at times!

I was just searching online for a therapist for someone I love.  I found an incredibly helpful site that narrowed down therapists in my area to those that specialized in the the disorder I was looking for help in, where they were located, a short bio about them and their practice and a picture.  I was completely turned off by MOST of the pictures!  Only a handful had professional portraits and most were snapshots with distracting things in the background and were unflattering.  A few looked to have been taken 30 years ago with outdated clothing or hair.  They might be AMAZING therapists but I didn’t even click on their profile for more information.

We all love selfies but a selfie is NOT a professional portrait!!!!  Yes, I am a photographer and of course I have a professional headshot… but be honest, if you were coming to do business with me about ANYTHING and I had this as my profile picture or on my website, does it look like I invest in my business?  It’s a SELFIE with clutter all behind me!  12998176_10153456027631516_3870900673969742748_o

Or this one?  A nice picture of mebut there is an unmade bed behind me and an open door.  I’m sitting in a hotel bedroom!  13173532_10153499581491516_8247333593334832702_o

These are the kinds of things I saw when looking for a therapist this morning.  There was one where he was standing beside a horse and you could only see a portion of his face but ALL of the horse!  

We shouldn’t make judgments on people by the way they look…. but we do have first impressions that are hard to get past.  We often have a TON of options in front of us and we navigate ourselves to the ones that relate to us.  Often, unless we are buying something  and there will have NO interaction (like online), we want to feel connected to the people we will be working with, buying from, spending time with, etc.  Some of the pictures I saw today, the therapists were almost scowling… and you want me to come and lay on your couch and tell you my problems???  No thanks, Mr. Grumpy.  The outdated ones… um no thanks Mrs. Seventies show.  The selfies… is this a legitimate business Ms. Smartphone?

The take-away from this is you NEED to have a professional portrait.  It doesn’t need to be BORING but it does need to focus on you and how you are trying to sell yourself.  Do you want to be inviting and warm?  Powerful and important?  Confident and trustworthy?  Self controlled and competent?  Amusing and charming?  Selfless and calm?  Different jobs call for different portraits!!   

Here are a few of MY portraits.  I usually try to go for inviting, warm, and friendly.   Sometimes I include my camera, sometimes I don”t.  I love to be outdoors and since many of my sessions are on location- I usually choose outdoor locations too.

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In response to my frustration today in viewing terrible headshots of therapists, I am going to offer a special discount for the rest of this week only.

 

 Contact me for a professional portrait of

yourself for only $110.  

This will include the session plus one digital image.  

 

Please invest in yourself and in your business.  Put your best foot (er… face) forward and see the difference it makes! 

Why Hanging Portraits Help Children | Hampton Roads Photographer

• February 5th, 2018 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

Many parents, like mine, have hung every portrait ever taken whether it be just their children or family portraits. It has been proven to boost a child’s self esteem when they see themselves in portraits hanging around the house.

According to David Krauss, who is a psychologist from Cleveland Ohio it’s important to have those family/children portraits. It helps children see themselves as an important and valued part of the family unit. 

As a photographer, I am biased, they say that there is something powerful in touching your fingers to an actual print. There’s  stimulation of the brain when you have that sensory experience like touching a portrait. There isn’t really any of that in the digital world with all the social media that exists. You are touching a keyboard, mouse or a touchscreen but you are not touching the actual image that involves your child or family.

Children like to feel like they belong, especially in this world that we live in today. Photographers get to create an image where the child feels safe and protected. They can look back on this even when they’re older and remember that safe feeling.  

So yes, not hanging portraits doesn’t do any harm, but hanging them could help your child! 

Here are some photos from my clients of them hanging portraits I captured! 

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Devin 2.0 is Here! | Hampton Roads Newborn Photographer

• December 13th, 2017 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

Welcome to the world sweet baby Devin! Not only did I get to capture portraits of momma’s new munchkin, but I got to capture BEAUTIFUL maternity photos! 

Mom and Dad Urie are both in the military, so I would like to take this time and say thank you so much for your service! This couple was an absolute blast to work with. They are so in love and so silly together! There was a lot of laughter and sweet moments while capturing portraits for this lovely family! 

I was so excited when I got the call that baby Devin had made his appearance! The little munchkin marches to the beat of his own drum and wasn’t sure how he felt about being the star of the shoot. No matter how he felt he was cooperative and I was able to capture some very sweet portraits for Mom and Dad to keep forever! 

 Andrea and Jamison thank you so much for allowing me to capture these sweet memories for your little family! 

If you’d like to book a newborn or maternity shoot, please feel free to contact me! 

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Santa Clause Came Early! | Hampton Roads Photographer

• December 8th, 2017 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

Santa Clause made an appearance at the beach this year! The weather was chilly but I’m sure that made Santa feel at home! We had so many great families! 

We love when Santa on the beach mini sessions because we get to capture so many beautiful portraits for families and help a family in need. Instead of a session fee we ask that those participating donate a toy for a family who may not get a Christmas this year. We actually over filled a big box of toys for the munchkins we are helping out, how awesome is that!?!?!  

We had so much fun with this shoot as you can see below! Each family was super awesome and we were able to capture such great portraits that we love so much and hope you do too! 

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Santa Is Coming Early! |Hampton Roads Photographer

• October 17th, 2017 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

There are so many people in Virginia Beach who consider themselves Beach Bums… and years ago Santa got jealous!  The cold in the North Pole got to be too much so he has made it a point to visit our beach every fall!!!

We are so excited to bring back a session everyone has requested… Santa on the beach! We know all our clients love this session, and so do we! You’ll have a chance to get some amazing family portraits with santa and without. We ask that you make a $25 deposit to hold your slot, which will go towards print credit.  In place of a session fee, we do ask that you bring an unwrapped gift so that we are able to help children in need during this time of year.  

Unfortunately this will most likely be the last year we get to do this at the Lynnhaven Fishing Pier. If you haven’t heard, the up-keep with the bridge and all the finances that go along with it were just too much to keep up with. They are closing the bridge in a few weeks for good and have sold it to Westminster-Cantebury, who haven’t disclosed their plans for the pier yet.  So who knows what our santa on the beach looks like next year?!?!  If you are a frequent “Santa on the Beach” client, don’t miss out this year to get what could possibly be the last year with our amazing pier in the background. (Don’t worry, we will still have Santa back next year no matter what happens to our beloved pier!)

Even with all the sad news, we are super excited to create awesome portraits with everyone! Remember if you haven’t put your deposit in, you should do that quick! Please make your payment to Devon@DevonShanorPhotography.com. Slots are going quick… Saturday is nearly full!! We wouldn’t want you to miss this awesome activity! Santa flYER 2017

Sweet Sofia Stokes|Virginia Beach Newborn Photographer

• October 5th, 2017 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

I’ve been privileged to take newborn portraits for a second time with Stokes family! Shana and Donnie recently welcomed sweet Sofia to the family and she is adorable! Sweet Sofia was such a good baby who slept most of the time which made my job super easy! We captured some amazing portraits and she looks bee-utiful! 

I was blessed to photography their first daughter,  Adalynn, and I got to watch this sweet girl grow with the Baby’s First Year plan! I’m so excited to get to do the same with Sofia! 

Adalynn is a big girl now and a big sister. It’s tough being three and patient while waiting for newborn portraits but she rocked it and we got some adorable portraits of these precious girls!

I’m so thankful that Shana and Donnie continue to trust me to capture these moments. I am so excited to watch their little munchkins grow into not so little munchkins! 

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The Other Side of the Camera

• September 27th, 2017 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

 

It’s not often when a photographer is on the other side of the camera! This was the first time Amanda has received headshots from me, but I’ve been grateful to photograph her sweet family on many occasions! It’s always such a joy to work with other photographers because we get to play with light. Amanda is a real estate photographer, something I don’t touch, so if you need a great real estate photographer go check out her page here: https://www.amandaporterphotos.com

I love working with you Amanda, so grateful for your friendship and business. 

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Happy Bradley Turns One | Baby’s First Year Portraits

• September 27th, 2017 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

Baby Bradley is no longer a baby, toddler hood here we come! Bradley may not be able to talk quite yet, but his smile is infectious… this little guy loves to laugh!!!! We had such such a great shoot with mommy and daddy.  It was awesome to get some family portraits because daddy was about to leave on deployment. We thank you for your service Aaron!

Bradley absolutely loved his cake smash. Unlike most of my one year olds, he didn’t want to put his cake away, he would have eaten all of it if we had allowed it!

We absolutely love how the portraits turned out and I am so grateful to photograph this adorable family once again!  

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Lauren: The Naturally Inspired Life | Hampton Roads Photographer

• September 15th, 2016 •

Copyright ©  Devon Shanor Photography | All rights reserved

Lauren is great friend of mine who is SUCH an inspiration.  She is a wonderful mom and wife and loves all things natural and is a phenomenal business owner!  In fact, she has so much talent, ideas, inspiration and passion, she has multiple businesses! 

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She has her own natural skincare line and I have been purchasing her homemade organic soaps and skincare for over a year now.  

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Then recently, she completed school and is now a Professional Esthetician!  (I have gotten a facial from her and it’s heaven!!)  You NEED to check out her spa services!

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She contacted me recently to help her with pictures for her website and we had such a great time together!  She truly does lead an inspiring life and you can find lots of great tips and ideas on living a budget friendly, natural life plus you can order products, schedule appointments and just find some daily inspiration!

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Please take a moment to check out her website!  http://www.thenaturallyinspiredlife.com/

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